Revenge is best served by our holy & righteous Father. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 105 Q. What is God’s will for you in the sixth commandment? A. I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor— not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds— and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either. Prevention of murder is also why government is armed with the sword. Summary One of our most fundamental inclinations as Americans is the concept of fairness, that people ought to get exactly what they deserve. It's this deeply embedded motivation that the Bible calls you to push back against. Rather than repaying a person by giving him what he's got coming, you must "not take revenge." The catechism reminds us here that that an ugly concept like murder is not limited to the overt actions related to physically taking a person's life, but extends to seemingly benign actions such as belittling and insulting people. Sometimes it might feel good to blow off a little steam by verbally assaulting a person who's been giving you grief so that things don't escalate into a full blown physical confrontation, but you can see that the catechism is simply echoing Paul's advice to, "as far as it depends upon you, to live at peace with everyone, and do not take revenge." This peace that you're called to is much more than just an outward politeness in which you don't say the quiet part out loud, even as you seethe and simmer on the inside. No, the Bible calls you to a pervasive, permeating peace that radiates from the inside out; a peace that keeps not just your mouth and hands in check, but your thoughts, looks and gestures as well. This passage ends with the famous line: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This passage often gets externalized, as if the best way to overcome bad guys is to shower them in good deeds. That may occasionally be the case, but I don't think that's what Paul means here. He wasn't referring to the evil reigning all around you, but the evil that seeks to plant its flag inside of you - your sinful nature (Sarx), who gains ground with every revenge filled thought and attitude you allow to fester. Overcome Sarx by flooding him out as you fill your mind with whatever is noble, right, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Dig Deeper The concept of revenge is a theme deeply woven into the fabric of scripture. In fact, the Bible draws to a close with Jesus promising to do the very thing that Paul here prohibits you from doing: Jesus will return with His settlement, meaning that He will repay everyone with exactly what they deserve, either good or bad. Base the peace that you've been commanded to have by "leaving room for God's wrath, for it is written, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord." AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who has promised to reward good and repay evil; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength to let go of your sinful instinct to desire revenge and instead reflect the goodness and forgiveness Jesus has shown you; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - 1 John 3

ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Romans 7

Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 12 Q. Romans 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against Romans 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be Question & Answer 12 is a transition point in the Heidelberg Catechism. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 5

As Paul wrote to the Romans, if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we shall also be Today's passage concludes with these commands in v12-13: 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal

Romans chapter 8, which is the magnificent centerpiece of this most magnificent book of the Bible, ends confidence, exclaiming, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Romans In introducing this topic, Paul writes, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart (Romans that follows this, he's right back in the saddle again (The very next words famously begin chapter 12 at God because you don't understand what's going on, remember this tremendous doxology at the end of Romans

Preaching ought to be your top priority Biblia.com Romans 10:13-17 (NIV) 13 “Everyone who calls on the

Romans 8:32-34 (NIV) ... If God is for us, who can be against us? Summary Romans 8 never fails to disappoint. when (not if) they come to the end of their rope and don't know where else to turn, open a Bible to Romans But how could what we just read in Romans 8 - or any one of a number of passages that say something similar Read these truths again with fresh eyes - both our Confession, and especially awesome passages like Romans

Romans 13:8-10 (NIV) 8  Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another others is the fulfillment of the law, and love "is not self-seeking" and "keeps no record (1 Cor. 13:5) where Jesus indicates that the righteousness of His disciples must surpass that of the Pharisees (Matt. 5:

Romans 2:28-29 (NIV) 28  A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely

Romans 10:1-4 (NIV) Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may In fact, a chapter earlier at the beginning of Romans 9, Paul describes this pain as "great sorrow and